An Important Question

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” - John 1:14 KJV

We beheld His glory. So wrote the John the Apostle in the King James Version. Other more recent translations say we saw His glory, or we have seen His glory.

Behold is not a word we use all that much in modern English. We don’t often say things like “Wow! Did you behold that?” Instead, we say things like “Wow! Did you see that?” or “Did you see what I just saw?”

In effect, that’s what John is saying in this passage. He’s saying “Look what we saw!”  But he’s saying so much more than that.

Behold is a word that carries with it an intensity of experience. It’s not just that John and the other disciples actually saw Jesus, but that they beheld Him. They got to know Him. They experienced life with Him. They knew Him in a personal way.

Think about that for a minute. Try to wrap your head around something - Someone - existing before existence. In eternity past, and forever before that, Jesus was already there. 

This One who came to earth as a baby born in the tiny town of Bethlehem was with God, and was God, even before time began.

That’s why Christmas is so much more.

Christmas is not just about a baby in a manger, as important and special as that is. Christmas is about God Himself taking on human flesh and coming to live on earth.

Christmas is about Who Jesus is. Christmas is about why Jesus came to earth. Christmas is about celebrating His coming.

We don’t have the same opportunity John and the other disciples had to see Jesus in the flesh, but we do have something they didn’t have. We have the written Word of God. And it is through this written Word that we, too, can behold our Savior. That we can get to know Him, His character, and His way.

If you want to be ready to celebrate Jesus this Christmas, why not set aside some time during this busy month of December, and behold Him. Choose one of the Gospels and spend a little time reading it, perhaps a chapter each day. Pay attention to what Jesus says and does. Beholding Him in this way, getting to know Him better, is one way to be ready for Christmas.

But the real question is not just are you ready for Christmas? The more important question is have you beheld Him? Do you know Him? That is a question which must be answered not only for Christmas, but for eternity.

Will you place your faith in Him today?

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believe to in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16

Adapted from Are You Ready for Christmas? by Susan Feaster, copyright 2016, all rights reserved